The subject matter of ETTG is IDP with an emphasis on Dynasty leagues. Ear
To The Ground was chosen for this column's title to convey a sense of detecting
rumblings in the distance... an ability essential to project a prospect from
college to pro and rookie to veteran. It will consist of four sections : Team
Reports, a Defensive Rookie of the Year Meter, an In-Depth Profile and a strategy
section called Cracking the Code. The team reports will be covered on a rotation
(ARI - KC, MIA - WAS) every other week. The events that wash over the IDP Dynasty
world and alter its landscape move at a slower rhythm and tempo and according
to longer cycles than redraft leagues, making weekly coverage superfluous. IDP
focus will be on the impact positions of LB, DE and S... exceptional DTs and
CBs will be noted for leagues that differentiate DE/DT and S/CB. Dynasty content
is geared towards youth. Like most successful working rosters that employ a
blend of production and potential, there will be a balance of rookie and veteran
coverage in the mix. FBG IDP content is complementary and interlocking. Upgrades/Downgrades
and Strong/Weak Plays articles will by their nature see new names bubble up
to the surface from week to week. Ear to the Ground will identify key players
early on and can be thought of as a watch list for the whole season as it unfolds.

TEAM REPORTS

ARIZONA - PENALTY BOX

ATLANTA - BYE

BALTIMORE - The Ravens spooked the Steelers on MNF, but were ultimately more
trick than treat... their prospects for making the playoffs are scary, and the
loss to PIT may have put a stake in the heart of any AFC North crown aspirations.
Adding to the horror of the season has been the loss of star defenders and team
leaders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed... though they weren't setting the world on fire
even when they were healthy. Lewis may have lost a step, and opposing OCs seem
to have figured out is best to avoid testing Reed downfield, after he led the
NFL in INTs last season (9) in winning the league's Defensive Player of the
Year award.

CHICAGO - The Bears gave up their first rushing TD of the season at near the
mid-point in the season. They have given up less points at a similar juncture
than their famed '85 Monsters of the Midway, Super Bowl Shuffle counterparts.
It figures that it happened against another hapless NFC North opponent, but
the CHI win lifted them to a 4-3 record... the only Norris division team with
a wining record. MLB Brian Uhrlacher is not only playing at a Pro Bowl level,
he is playing at a level that could merit Defensive Player of the Year consideration
before the season is over... he led the charge (9-2), though was held without
a sack for the second time in as many weeks after getting out to a white-hot
start of 6 sacks in his first five games. Five of the Bears top defenders were
atop the box score with 6 or more tackles, including Lance Briggs, SS Mike Brown,
DE Adewale "Wally" Ogunleye and CB Charles Tillman. Briggs can score
a lot of ways, and already has 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR and 1 INT. The switch from
FS to SS has agreed with Brown... he leads all safeties in tackles with 42 (in
just seven games) and also has 2 INTs... he is on the threshold of the top 10
DBs and at the rate he is producing should get there once the bye weeks even
out. O-Gun is not putting up the monster sack numbers expected of him after
his brilliant start in MIA induced Chi-town to extend one of the most lucrative
DL contracts in NFL history, but he is staying out of the trainer's whirlpool
(a step in the right direction after an injury-marred 2004) and is not a slacker
in run support like some edge rushing phenoms. Though Tillman was abused by
CLE WR Antonio Bryant early in October for a couple of late TDs (otherwise they
might be 5-2... a testament to the remarkable performance by the D given the
team has had to rely on rookie QB Kyle Orton after starter Rex Grossman went
down before the season even started)... including that game he has 3 INTs in
his last four games. The latest was a game winner after a return TD in OT. The
2004 first and second round DT dopplegangers Tommie Harris and "Tank"
Johnson also figured prominently... Harris with a blunt force trauma-type hit
on DET QB Garcia, and Johnson with his third sack in the past two games (breakout
ALERT with flashing lights and klaxon sirens after Tank failed to distinguish
himself last season). Throw a rock at the Bears defense and dynasty leaguers
will probably hit a youngster. The nucleus... Uhrlacher (27), Briggs (24), Brown
(27), Ogunleye (28), Tillman (24), Harris (22) and Johnson (23)... is comprised
chiefly of pups chronologically.

CINCINNATI - MLB Odell Thurman (ETTGs #1 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate
with a bullet since the 2005 season's first installment) has an amazing 4 INTs
through eight games after adding two more Sunday. To put that in perspective...
in the past five seasons, the most INTs by a LB is 6 by Ray Lewis in 2003 (ILB
Donnie Edwards had five several times in that span). The future Pro Bowler currently
resides behind only long time IDP stalwarts Zach Thomas and Donnie Edwards,
as well as soph sensation Jonathan Vilma (who may have Ray Lewis-like potential
and future Defensive Player of the Year ability). All those big plays (including
a sack and 3 FFs) have rocketed him up the LB scoring column, ahead of the likes
of Antonio Pierce (NYG), Cato June (IND), Keith Bullock (TEN), Jeremiah Trotter
(PHI) and Mike Peterson (JAX).

DALLAS - Roy Williams (team leading 7 tackles) is as big as a LB at about 235,
hits like a LB... and is starting to score like a LB (he also covers like a
LB, but thats a different story). He is the #2 DB (#1 S) in the league, and
if his season totals were transposed into the LB scoring column, Williams would
be the #12 LB in the NFL. The pre-season reports that Parcell's planned to deploy
him closer to the LOS (which most closely aligns with his skills and best plays
to his strengths... the ability to blow plays up and be a big play machine)
have proven accurate. For the past two seasons, since the Big Tuna was reeled
in from retirement, the former Oklahoma Sooners star has not been positioned
for success or able to maximize his formidable playmaking ability... forced
instead to baby sit the team's revolving door of CBs opposite Terence Newman.
With at least one sack (actually 1/2 sack week one), FF or INT in five of eight
games this season, Williams is evoking memories of his brilliant rookie season,
when he looked like he would emerge as the top safety in the NFL. In calling
him a playmaker, the characterization does not extend to great aerial or ball
skills. What he does bring to the table is world class instincts, monster LB-like
run stuffing skills and the rare short area burst and explosion to close on
the ball carrier and QBs and change the game with a huge hit. The multi-Pro
Bowler is at his best when going forward, pressing the issue, attacking and
being disruptive. Safety is not usually a position scouts get as excited about
as CB. Rare players like Roy Williams (who some scouts thought was the best
PLAYER in the nation in college... not just the top defender) and Sean Taylor
that are top 10 selections in the NFL draft only come around a few times a decade.
Williams is the culmination of a lineage of fine Cowboys safeties including
Cliff Harris and Darren Woodson, and if he continues to grow and evolve, may
be good enough to become a HOFer some day. Some thought former CLE CB and free
agent Anthony Henry (6 tackles) was overpriced, but he has been worth every
penny and in fact a bargain so far (#3 DB in the NFL after #2 Williams). His
INT (third of the season) and return TD was probably the biggest play of the
game, and his steady play (as well as that of counterpart Newman on the other
side) has played a key role in enabling Williams to do his thing. ILB Bradie
James (4-3 and 1/2 sack) looks like the light is beginning to come on. The former
LSU All American may be the most improved player on the team on either side
of the ball. Though OLB Kevin Burnett has had some injuries and failed to crack
the lineup in a significant way, fellow rookies and DeMarcus Ware (ETTG Top
10 DPOY candidate), Marcus Spears and Chris Canty have made their presence felt
with substantial impacts. Parcells and the DAL war room should be commended
for what might be the best overall rookie class to emerge from the 2005 draft.

DENVER - Rookie CBs Darrent Williams and Dominique Foxworth have made "genius"
HC Shanahan look like... a genius. The dimunitive Williams plays way bigger
than his size and has been a revelation. In addition to playing well enough
to push Lenny Walls aside for the starting job, the play of his teammate Foxworth
as the nickle back made Skeletor comfortable enough to cut the physically intriguing
(but erratic and frustratingly inconsistent) Walls. Foxworth made the play of
the game on a sensational INT in which he was beat to the inside by rookie WR
Reggie Brown but had the presence of mind, wherewithal and recovery speed to
regain inside position and snare the underthrown pass by McNabb. Williams especially
is worth tracking and exploring in start two CB leagues. It is hard to get too
excited about Foxworth in IDP leagues as long as he remains the nickle CB (Champ
Bailey isn't going anywhere).

DETROIT - DT Shaun Cody has looked impressive in limited opportunities. An
injury to man mountain Shaun Rogers has pressed him into action, as was the
case earlier in the season with former USC teammate and fellow rookie Mike Patterson,
the good looking PHI DT. The Lions traded up in the second round to secure his
services. The ex-Trojan star DL was coveted for his versatility (he played DT
and DE under Pete Carroll) and his impressive pedigree and resume... Cody was
the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year as a highly recruited CA prep, before
becoming a two-time All American, earning first team honors during the 2004
national championship season. Not a burner, he will flash deceptive athleticism
and speed for a big man, has power and developing hand technique for separation
and has some upside once he expands his ability to string moves together. He
has distinguished himself in two of the last three games, with a 1 1/2 sack
effort followed by Sunday's performance with 3 tackles, punctuated by a FF that
was an impact play.

GREEN BAY - This is quickly turning into a forgettable season for the 1-6 Packers...
the last of the last... maybe the worst team in what has to be the worst division
in football. In the sometimes upside-down, Escher-like world of IDP, bad can
be good. Bad CBs get tested, and bad offenses entail the defense being on the
field more, translating directly to more tackle and big play opps. MLB Nick
Barnett (8-4) has been a poster child for this core IDP heuristic and tenet...
he is the #11 LB through just seven games. After a Defensive Rookie of the Year-type
inaugural season, he seemed to regress somewhat in 2004, leading to questions
about whether the slightly undersized LB was a better fit on the weak side (where
he played at Oregon State, before he was "converted" to the middle
as a pro). Former Dolphins DC Jim Bates made the determination early on that
he had what it takes to play MLB in his system (where oversized DTs kept interior
OL off of Zach Thomas and freed him to roam sideline-to-sideline and fly to
the ball carrier). This ex-Beaver plays angry (angry and beaver in the same
sentence just looks wrong) and fast... as evidenced by his INT and 95 yard return
TD week five against the Saints.

HOUSTON - The gross futility and ineptitude of the Texans offense has placed
a lot of pressure on the HOU defense... but the D has contributed to the fact
that it has been over three quarters of a century since the last time a team
failed to capture a lead at any point through the first six games (DOH!)...
until this FINALLY materialized last week, in their seventh contest.

INDIANAPOLIS - BYE

JACKSONVILLE - The "Cardiac Cats" can be maddeningly inconsistent.
MLB Mike Peterson is a rock in the middle (10 tackles and a sack against STL).
Despite having the #9 LB and probably the top DT tandem in the NFL (Marcus Stroud
and John "Hendo" Henderson... #19 DL), the Shag-uars have been surprising
soft and vulnerable to the run. After the latest instance, in which good looking
soph sensation RB Steven Jackson lit them up for a monster game with 200 combined
yards and spearheaded an improbable 4th quarter comeback by the decimated Rams
(without the services of Pro Bowl caliber skill position players Bulger, Holt,
Bruce or defender Little), that lifted and evened the feisty STL squad's record
to 4-4 and dropped the high expectation (and highly erratic) JAX club to a disappointing
5-3. This could put pressure on the incumbent OLBs... SLB Akin Ayodele (a converted
Purdue DE) and WLB Daryl Smith (a star MLB for Georgia Tech). There has been
whispers in scouting channels that Del Rio has been looking to upgrade over
Ayodele since 2004, and these concerns may have prompted the recent bargain
basement acquisition of ex-49er OLB Jamie Winborn (unquestioned athleticism
and talent, but with a medical history more checkered than a Wendy's table cloth).
Smith (6-2) probably isn't going anywhere... he has routinely flashed impressive
athleticism, instincts and playmaking ability when healthy, and could be groomed
as the eventual heir apparent to Peterson, based on his stellar play in the
middle as a Yellow Jacket. Rashean Mathis almost single-handedly turned the
tide of the game, with 2 INTs and a tipped pass deflection that led to a third
INT, along with 5 tackles. The former small school All American (from DB "factory"
Bethune-Cookman, which also recently pumped out rookie second round FS Nick
Collins of the Packers) has rare athleticism and versatility...the quickness,
agility and coverage chops to excel at CB and the size, strength and range to
star at safety if he were ever called upon to switch positions. Mathis is an
ascendant player who could be a Pro Bowler soon if he fulfills the arc and trajectory
of his career thus far. He is currently the #16 DB, though might be in the top
10 if he had played eight games.

This section will draw from and point back to pre-season work, such as the
IDP Rookie and Sleepers articles, as well as include new profiles in-season
as events dictate.

SS/FS Josh Bullocks, New Orleans Saints (from the Pre-Season Rookie
Report - DB)... if his brother makes it to the NFL (Nebraska SS Daniel Bullocks),
it will be easy to say he has good genes... they are identical twins. What a
weapon that would be for the same team. Stash one on the practice squad, and
if the activated player gets injured, he could go into the locker room at half-time,
secretly change clothes/uniform and trade places with his healthy twin! Ssshhh...
you heard it here first.

Overview: Though he didn't play as well in 2004, garnered some All American
recognition with 10 INTs in 2003 (intercepting a pass in nine of 13 games),
setting the Nebraska and Big 12 Conference record in his first season as a starter.
Bullocks was the third safety taken in the '05 draft (all juniors) within a
handful of picks of highly regarded Oklahoma standout Brodney Pool... or the
second pure safety prospect from his class, depending on if Thomas Davis is
viewed as a safety or a more natural long-term LB, as he seems to be by his
own coaches. Free lance scout Mel Kiper had Pool and Bullocks as the #1 and
#2 ranked safeties, grading Davis as a LB. Played in the same secondary as his
brother, starting Nebraska SS Daniel Bullocks, and part of a talented Cornhusker
defense that sported fellow high day one 2005 draft picks Barrett Ruud at MLB
and Fabian Washington at CB. He was a prep RB/sprinter and has exceptional bloodlines
(cousin of Olympian Evelyn Ashford). Former Cornhusker and current Chicago Bear
SS Mike Brown and Philadelphia Eagles star FS Brian Dawkins could be comp players
in terms of athleticism and skill set. Scouts are somewhat divided about his
open field tackling skills and run support prowess, but seem to be in agreement
about his outstanding natural coverage ability. Based on what he accomplished
two seasons ago, when he was among the most dangerous and prolific pass thiefs
in the nation, Bullocks looks like a future playmaker. Could be the whole package...
with decent size, hops, 4.4 speed and the ability to both mix it up against
the run and contribute immediately in coverage with great instincts and advanced
skills.

Fantasy Outlook: In a similar situation to Brodney Pool in that he finds his
path to becoming a starter temporarily blocked for the near future. High-priced
free agent and ex-Buc FS Dwight Smith was a coveted playmaker handpicked to
replace the disappointing Tebucky Jones. He signed a long-term contract with
a lot of guaranteed, up front money and isn't going anywhere. The venerable
Jay Bellamy is a grizzled (if not grizzly) veteran who is still solid and serviceable...
what he gives up in speed and athleticism he makes up for in savviness and knowledge
of the game. The latest camp reports have Bullocks getting reps at SS and the
reviews have been positive. Even if he doesn't dislodge the incumbent Bellamy
this season, he could soon be paired with FA Dwight Smith in a futuristic tandem...
both can run, hit and cover. He will most likely figure in nickel and dime packages
right away. The Saints have been missing playmakers in the secondary for seemingly
forever, but now may sport three... CB Mike McKenzie and FS Smith from the past
two season's respective free agency periods, along with Bullocks via the draft.
The sketchy stopping power of the young, largely unproven LB corps could lead
to more tackle opportunities than there are bead necklaces during Mardi Gras.
The tremendous pressure the Saints potentially league best three man DE rotation
(led by ascendant super star Charles Grant, steady if unspectacular Darren Howard
and last season's first round revelation Will Smith) will be able to bring to
bear on opposing QBs aligns nicely with all the new playmaking additions in
the secondary. Haslett had the horses up front to force hurried and errant passes
by the opposition... now he also has the playmakers in the secondary to do convert
the opportunities. Seemingly a more natural center fielder, if he eventually
lands at SS as expected, could easily emerge as one of the top safeties and
most productive fantasy DBs overall from this class. Some camp reports say the
promising Bullocks is as good or better than advertised and already pressing
the athletically limited Bellamy for time... it wouldn't be a huge surprise
if he is inserted into the starting lineup at some point during the 2005 season.

Cracking the Code - Buy Low and Sell High

Not an Earth-shattering revelation here. But it is worth attending to on a
smaller scale, when dealing with IDPs. If a player has a big game or two...
that is precisely when NOT to approach an owner for a trade. Let said player
cool off for a while, diminishing in importance in the owner's evaluation. For
instance, last year was a better time to try and get DAL SS Roy Williams. The
cat is already out of the bag now that he has broken out. Ditto with guys like
IND FS Bob Sanders and ATL WLB Demorrio Williams. This would be a great time
to try and acquire potential future star, SEA SS Michael Boulware. Buying low
has to do with key attributes of patience and not getting overly excited...
selling high has to do with not panicking. Switching to the offensive domain,
if analysis of underperforming young gun WRs Andre Johnson and Lee Evans identifies
a constellation of traits that has in the past been a precursor of stardom (in
terms of measurables, talent, work ethic and pedigree), this would be a horrific
time to give up now... they could break out in 2006. Hunker down and stick to
your scouting convictions.